Here's my strategy when fishing ponds from shoreline. During cold water periods in Florida, I locate the deepest hole in the pond. I will fan-cast and count-down my 1/4 oz leadhead jig to the bottom. Once the deepest portion is found, I will fish it with only two different colors of a Berkley Powerbait, or Gulp, 3 or 4 inch black or white grub...keep it simple. I love black during the day and will switch to white as low light sets in. After casting, I let the jig hit bottom then give it two forceful vertical rod jerks to attract the fish. Then, I will very slowly straight-retrieve the jig. The strike in the cold water will resemble a snag until you set the hook then the fight is on. Fishing this technique has resulted in countless bass in the 6-9 lb range with the largest a few ounces over 14 lbs. NEW LURE: Recently I've been fishing a prototype metal jig called the Sonic BaitFish, made by Mack's Lure in Wenatchee, WA. It's an amazing lure for anything that swims and can be vertically jigged (7) different ways and cast or trolled. See illustration in my attachment in addition to one of my many bass. (Just advised that my upload was skipped because "the file was too big to upload"...sorry.) I love casting the 1/10 or 1/6 oz sizes. So far, only the silver finish has been available to me. I cast it with the hook attached to the tail or nose with a duo lock snap attached to the opposite end. It's deadly especially during late evening hours. Either fast-retrieve it over the surface where it "gurgles" on the surface or striaght slow retrieve it as soon as it hits water. Straight retrieves work better during the day where it runs deeper. The Sonic BaitFish will be one of the very best versatile lures you will ever use once it becomes available! Capt Pete
